5 Myths about Barack Obama

There are myths galore about US President Barack Obama, with each of them linking him to one thing or the other far removed from reality. We are listing five myths plaguing Barack Obama, though there are hundreds of them doing the rounds over the Internet, on the streets, and at all the places where people can chat around. However, all the myths must be taken with a pinch of salt, and facts should be verified before falling for any of the myths.

Here are 5 myths about Barack Obama:

Obama is a Muslim: This is probably the most talked-about myth about the US president. This myth started doing the rounds right after Obama's candidature for the post of the US president became known. There have been numerous e-mails, portraying Obama as a turban-wearing muslim in Kenya, the native country of his father. It is said that the e-mails were started by Obama's political opponents to portray him a less-American than them. The truth, however, remains that he never professed any religious faith till 1985, when he began going to church as a Christian after marriage.

Another myth talks about Obama having studied in a Madrassah, a radical Islamic school, in Indonesia: The truth is that he never attended any madrassah. He has studied for a brief period in a predominately muslim public school, but has also attended a Catholic school for almost equal number of years during his childhood. After reports surfaced that Obama having attended a madrassah as a child, some media organizations investigated the matter and visited the said school, and found that that school never focused on religion.

One of the five myths plaguing Barack Obama for many years must include the one about him being a staunch supporter of huge tax hikes. Numerous discussions and studies have taken place to find out whether Obama's tax proposals and policies are aimed at raising taxes more than that of the other US presidents. His political opponents have often charged Obama of raising taxes to unacceptable levels. However, many of the political leaders have found Obama's tax proposals to be more favorable for middle class.

Another myth that started during poll campaign says that Obama lacked leadership experience and he would be learning on the job. The truth is that everyone learns on the job, whatever be the prior experience level. The myths about Obama leadership are no different from those about any other leader within and outside America. His win in the presidential election itself was based on people's faith in Obama’s leadership skills.

There have also been myths about Obama not being in favor of America's counter-terrorism policies. During his poll campaigns, Obama was charged with being soft on terrorism; his policies were termed naive. The truth is that Obama administration only stepped up the counter-terrorism measures; contrary to the myth, he has increased pressures on Iran.

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